Sky High (2005)

Despite its obvious ode to The Incredibles and the Harry Potter series, Sky High is a wildly entertaining time at the movies that parents and kids will flip for. With an inspired supporting cast that includes Kurt Russell, Bruce Campbell, Linda Carter, and two Kids in the Hall alumni, Kevin McDonald and Dave Foley, the movie surrounds its fledgling teen stars with scene-chewing veterans who delight in a chance to play with superhero molds of old. Michael Angarano and Danielle Panabaker make a splash as the teenage leads, lending the kind of naïve charm to their roles that Disney has thrived on. What makes the flick really work is how the filmmakers took the notion of a superhero school and molded it into a John Hughes-ish type of teen comedy. In fact, though it has grand doses of larger-than-life comic book action, some of the strongest elements are when the movie sets its sights squarely on the genre's oldest conventions. This kind of twist rarely pays off on the big screen, but this one does thanks to its sweet nature and the fun it exudes from the first moment to the last. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide